Geoffrey Owens donates the $25,000 Nicki Minaj gave him to charity

Geoffrey Owens is “extremely grateful” to Nicki Minaj for gifting him with $25,000 after she learned that he worked at Trader Joe’s. But instead of keeping the sizable donation, the actor is sending the funds to other actors who are in need.

“I would like to give this donation of 25K to the Actor’s Fund in memory of the late, great Earle Hyman — who played Cosby’s father, ‘Russell’, on The Cosby Show — who lived his last many years and died at the Actors’ Home, (funded and run by the Actor’s Fund),” Owens, 57, told TMZ in a statement.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Owens said that his first thought following the news of his Trader Joe’s job going public was how his son would feel about it.

Detailing his fear that his 19-year-old child would be humiliated, the father of one recalled, “I texted my son and warned him about the story breaking. I actually apologized to him for embarrassing him, because I knew that he’s in school away from us. I knew his classmates would see it and he’d be humiliated and embarrassed. I apologized to him.”

Owens, who worked at the grocery store for 15 months, added, “Even before the wave of support rolled in within an hour or two, he sent me a beautiful text back about how proud he was of me. I cried, I just broke down. He felt the opposite of embarrassment. He was so proud that I had taken the job. It was beautiful.”

He said the attention he’s been receiving ever since has been overwhelming.

“It really hurt. I felt really humiliated,” Owens said. “I tried to envision the worse case scenario just to prepare myself and then it was just a little bit worse. If that was possible.”

But the experience turned into a learning moment for the actor.

“It’s because I kind of hung in there and persevered that all of this amazing stuff has now happened. I am someone who generally does persevere, but this confirmed to me how important it is to just hang in there,” Owens said. “I think that’s so important for so many people in my industry. You just have to hang on!”